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Young gives team plenty of options

Rockies speedster could play five positions during spring training

By Troy E. Renck The Denver Post

Posted:
02/27/2013 11:27:25 PM MST

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Forget the NFL combine. Or the base paths. There's one way to find out how fast Eric Young Jr. is once and for all. Prior to today's first pitch at Salt River Fields, NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski will do a lap around the warning track.

Who you got?

"I can keep up with it for a second or two," Young said with a laugh.

Young Jr. is on the fast track to make his second consecutive opening day roster. The question is, where will he play? He's spent time at second, center and left in camp and will eventually make his way to right and third base. Like Jordan Pacheco, he provides Rockies manager Walt Weiss with options.

"It makes it tougher for me to make a bad decision," Weiss said after Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Padres.

Young features rare speed. He bunted in the ninth inning to the pitcher and easily reached first base. Weiss calls him a "game-changer."

How does Young see himself? He gave it away during a recent visit to Children's Hospital in Aurora, prior to spring training. As he met a steady stream of patients and parents, he answered succinctly when asked what position he played.

"Leadoff hitter," he said without hesitation.

Viewed as a curiosity, Young, 27, changed perceptions within the organization last season. General manager Dan O'Dowd wanted him on the roster for his toughness and energy. Young was the team's best bench player in the first half. He won games with his feet at Houston on opening day and at Pittsburgh, tagging up on a flyball roughly 150 feet from home plate.

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Given a chance to play more following Michael Cuddyer's oblique injury in late July, Young hit .420 (29-for-69) with five doubles and three home runs.

Three weeks later, he inexplicably injured his left oblique.

"I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason. It was a blessing to get the playing time," Young Jr. said. "What it showed was that I could do it. That's been the biggest question. I had been waiting for an opportunity like that."

Even in a limited role, Young has been a popular player. Rockies' fans know his father, Eric Young Sr., and Young makes a habit of signing autographs and interacting with fans on Twitter. His visit to Children's Hospital was sandwiched around making housing arrangements for the upcoming season. He and his wife, Victoria, who has volunteered at hospitals, weren't about to miss spreading cheer at Children's.

"If I can put a smile on someone's face, I want to do it," Young Jr. said.

It doesn't take much deciphering to realize that Weiss is intrigued by the idea of hitting Young first and Dexter Fowler second on occasion. There might not be a faster top of the order in the National League. That's why Weiss is giving Young another shot as a utility infielder after he did not play a single game there last season.

"They have told me to be ready for anything," Young said.

Young actually bulked up for the task. Or more accurately added two pounds, from 185 to 187. Looking back at his rib injury, the Rockies training staff believed that Young might have actually been too fit. So Victoria was told to cook for four this offseason, with her husband eating for three. He even had a hamburger.

"I didn't like it," said Young.

Over the next four weeks, Young will play five positions. It's up to Weiss to find a fit for his feet once the season begins.

"Speed doesn't have a bad day," Weiss said. "That's one of my challenges, getting him in there because he can help us."

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